Cherokee Nation Technologies Brings Unmanned Expertise to Flood Relief Project 

An Altavian Unmanned Aircraft is launched from an easement site in New Jersey.

Published April 26, 2019

United States Department of Agriculture conducts coastal surveys in New Jersey

TULSA, Okla. — Cherokee Nation Technologies recently joined its partner Altavian Inc. in flying a complex Unmanned Aircraft System mission for the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service of New Jersey.

As part of the Emergency Watershed Protection Program, CNT helped conduct UAS surveys over two coastal easements damaged by Hurricane Sandy. The effort will help provide future flood relief in the Cumberland County, New Jersey, area.

The locations surveyed span more than 400 acres.

“This project was particularly complex because it required our team to fly at low tide with good sun angles, while of course operating within FAA regulations for small UAS,” said John “JC” Coffey, CNB’s executive director for unmanned systems. “During most missions we’re able to wait for optimal weather conditions, but that wasn’t possible when factoring in the tidal requirement needed for this effort. The flight crew showed superb problem-solving and piloting skills in completing this mission safely.”

The flights were conducted before the full greening of vegetation to enable NRCS personnel to develop rehabilitation plans. Despite the size and terrain of the sites, the flight team safely collected all four necessary datasets without any major difficulty.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in New Jersey provides private landowners and government agencies with assistance in conservation and management of soil, water and other natural resources.

Data and images secured during a recent mission supporting the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service of New Jersey will be used to support flood relief in the area.

Cherokee Nation Technologies provides a full spectrum of unmanned systems expertise, IT services, technology solutions and geospatial information systems services, as well as management and support of programs, projects, professionals and technical staff.

Since 2009, the company has been serving government clients with innovative and effective solutions that increase client effectiveness through the intelligent use of technology. CNT is a subsidiary of Cherokee Nation Businesses and is headquartered in Tulsa, with a regional office in Ft. Collins, Colorado, and client locations nationwide.

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